About Hill's Science Diet
Hill's Science Diet traces back to 1907, when Burton Hill founded what became Hill's Pet Nutrition in Kansas. Its science-led direction took shape in 1939, when veterinarian Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. developed a therapeutic diet for a guide dog with kidney disease, leading to the company's first prescription pet food in 1948; Science Diet itself followed in the 1960s under Mark L. Morris Jr. Today the company, a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with its 170-acre Pet Nutrition Center and manufacturing operations remaining in Topeka. Hill's employs more than 220 veterinarians, PhD nutritionists, and food scientists who develop and test its formulas.
Every Hill's Science Diet cat food we feature is substantiated through the company's own AAFCO feeding trials rather than formulated on paper alone -- meaning the food was actually fed to cats and their health measured over time, a meaningfully higher bar than many competitors clear. Hill's is widely cited as the most veterinarian-recommended pet food brand in the United States, a reputation built on decades of published research and formulas developed alongside its in-house veterinary nutritionists. Independent reviewers including Cats.com and Catster cover the line regularly, and Hill's backs its clinical pedigree with a separate Prescription Diet lineup of therapeutic formulas for cats with a veterinarian-diagnosed condition.
Brand website: hillspet.com
What Hill's Science Diet makes
Hill's Science Diet's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Science Diet Kitten
dry and wet growth formulas for kittens from weaning through the first birthday — featured on House of Mittens
Science Diet Adult (1-6 years)
dry and wet maintenance formulas, including targeted wellness recipes for sensitive stomach, weight management, and urinary & hairball control — featured on House of Mittens
Science Diet Adult 7+ and Adult 11+
formulas tailored for mature and senior cats
Prescription Diet
veterinarian-prescribed therapeutic diets for diagnosed conditions such as kidney disease, urinary crystals, and metabolic weight loss
Cat treats
baked biscuits, dental chews, and Prescription Diet Metabolic weight-management treats
Science Diet dog food
a parallel dry and wet lineup for dogs across life stages
Why we recognized Hill's Science Diet
The House of Mittens Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our vet-reviewed category guides. Hill's Science Diet earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: assessed against feline-health criteria, used with real cats, and judged on merit.
Hill's Science Diet products we rated highly
Hill's Science Diet Kitten Formula Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food
One of the products we rated highest in our kitten food reviews. Formulated specifically for growth and substantiated through Hill's own feeding trials -- the food was actually fed to kittens and their health measured, rather than calculated on paper. Real chicken leads the recipe alongside DHA for brain and eye development and a clinically tested antioxidant blend, and it holds a 4.8-star average across more than eleven thousand reviews.
Read the 10 Best Kitten Foods of 2026 guide →
Hill's Science Diet Adult 1-6 Premium Nutrition Dry Cat Food, Chicken Recipe
One of our top picks in our cat food reviews. The brand veterinarians recommend more than any other in the United States, backed by AAFCO feeding trials and a precisely balanced micronutrient profile that adds taurine for cardiac and retinal health. It carries the largest review base of any dry food in our cat food reviews, a sign of how consistently cats tolerate and thrive on it.
Read the 8 Best Cat Foods of 2026 guide →
Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Chicken & Rice Dry Cat Food
One of our top picks in our dry cat food reviews, and the formula we most often suggest for a cat with a temperamental gut or itchy skin. Substantiated through Hill's feeding trials and developed with the company's veterinary nutritionists, with added vitamin E and omega fatty acids that visibly improve coat quality.
Read the 9 Best Dry Cat Foods of 2026 guide →
Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Chicken Dry Cat Food
The dry food we reach for first for an overweight cat in our testing. It's clinically formulated with published data showing most cats lost weight within ten weeks, keeping protein high while cutting calories so a cat sheds fat rather than lean muscle.
Read the 9 Best Dry Cat Foods of 2026 guide →
Hill's Science Diet Adult Urinary & Hairball Control Chicken Dry Cat Food
A standout in our testing for tackling a pairing we see constantly in the same cat: recurring hairballs and minor urinary grumbles. It controls mineral levels to support urinary health while a natural fiber blend helps reduce hairballs, feeding-trial substantiated like the rest of the Hill's line.
Read the 9 Best Dry Cat Foods of 2026 guide →What earned Hill's Science Diet the recognition
- Hill's Science Diet Kitten Formula is one of the products we rated highest in our kitten food reviews: feeding-trial substantiated, real-chicken-first, and averaging 4.8 stars across more than eleven thousand reviews.
- A top pick in both our overall cat food and dry cat food reviews, recognized as the brand vets recommend more than any other in the United States.
- Three distinct Hill's formulas are among our top picks in our dry cat food coverage alone: sensitive stomach & skin, weight management, and urinary & hairball control, a breadth no other single brand matched there.
- Every featured Hill's product is substantiated through the company's own AAFCO feeding trials rather than formulated on paper, and developed with input from Hill's in-house veterinary nutritionists.
- Consistently large review bases across every featured product, from roughly 11,700 to over 17,400 reviews apiece, reflecting sustained owner satisfaction rather than a single hit product.